Monument of Van Alexander Agnew — Attraction in Multan City Tehsil

OBELISK OF LIEUTENANT PATRICK ALEXANDER VANS AGNEW AND LIEUTENANT W.A ANDERSON This monument was erected by the British East India Company in honor of Patrick Alexander Vans Agnew (1822-48) and Lieutenant W. A. Anderson, who were assassinated by retainers loyal to Diwan Mulraj Chopra, the Diwan or Governor of Multan. Their brutal murder resulted in the Second Sikh War from 1848-49. Multan was captured by British Army in Jan 1849 which further led to the conquest of the Punjab by the British East India company and its annexation as part of the British Empire. This monument was erected in 1864. Background In the 1840s Multan was an integral part of the Sikh Empire and was headed by Mulraj Chopra (1814-51). However, following the first Anglo-Sikh war of 1845-46, British residents (such as Sir Henry Lawrence) were embedded deep within the Sikh government and directed the Sikh Empire's strategic policies, leaving minor matters to local officials. Thus, when the British-controlled government decided to enforce the payment of taxes that were several years in arrears, Dewan Mulraj and prominent Sikhs within the city were not pleased but were required to obey. Perhaps in an effort to stall for time, Mulraj offered to resign his position so that his son could take up rulership of Multan in his stead. The British learned of Mulraj's intentions and instead nominated Khan Singh, a Sikh official whom they trusted, to assume leadership of the city. Vans Agnew and William Anderson were charged with delivering Khan Singh safely to the city, overseeing an orderly change in government, and setting up a new finance system to ensure orderly payment of taxes. Things did not go according to plan. When the British officials, accompanied by Khan Singh, rode out to obtain the keys to the city, they were accompanied by a small contingent of Gurkhas. After obtaining the keys without incident, a soldier in Mulraj's army assaulted Vans Agnew on the drawbridge of Multan fortress and was soon joined by a mob who proceeded to attack the British delegation. Vans Agnew and Anderson were seriously wounded and were evacuated to Shahi Eid Gah mosque on the outskirts of the city where a field hospital was set up. However, it proved to be only a temporary reprieve as their Gurkha escorts melted away into the night. The following morning, after learning that a Mazabi boy had been shot by Khan Singh's men, the mob returned with a vengeance and hacked the officials to death, sparing only Khan Singh, whom they took prisoner. Mulraj himself may not have been aware of the plot (indeed, in his last letter to the British authorities, a dying Vans Agnew expressed belief in his innocence) but the actions of his retainers forced his hand. Thus, when given the severed head of Vans Agnew, he handed it to Khan Singh and asked that it be taken back to the British in Lahore—thereby indicating he was in open revolt. The Second Anglo-Sikh...

The mounment was commissioned by the British East India Company. It commemorates murder of Patrick Alexander Vans Agnew (1822-1848) and Lieutenant William A. Anderson of the 1st. Bombay Fusilier Regiment by followers of Dewan Mulraj, the Diwan of Multan. This instigated the Second Anglo-Sikh War, which culminated in the British East India Company's conquest and annexation of the Punjab. The monument stands over the final resting place of Vans Agnew, a member of the Bengal civil service, and Lieutenant Anderson of the 1st Bombay Fusilier Regiment.The pair were dispatched, as Assistants to the Resident at Lahore Sir Henry Lawrence, to relieve Dewan Moolraj, Viceroy of Multan, of his fortress and duties at his behest. However, they were assaulted and injured by the garrison on April 19, 1848, and subsequently abandoned by their Sikh escort.On the following day, they were brutally murdered at the Eedgah, under the...

Monument made by British rulers to pay tribute to Patrick Alexander Vans Agnew (1822–1848), a British civil servant of the East India Company, whose murder during the Siege of Multan by the retainers of Dewan Mulraj led to the Second Sikh War and to the British annexation of the...